Running for veep with a 4-month old disabled baby?

[CoffeeCat]

I may get some flack for saying this, but does anyone else find it
a bit odd for a woman--who has a 4-month old disabled child--to endure
the grueling travel and 120-hour work weeks that it takes to run for
veep?

It strikes me as unmotherly. Sorry, but it does.

I can understand someone returning to work after having a baby. Women
can balance work and family. However, we're not talking about returning
to work. We're talking about extraordinary circumstances, and traveling
all over the country--while working nearly every waking minute. Is Palin
planning to travel with her baby? If not, she'll be away from him
most of the time.

This woman is considered a hero, because she gave birth to a child
with Down's Syndrome--but it's ok to abandon this child after it's
born? Palin is a good Christian for having this baby, but once he's
born--it's ok with the Fundies that Palin will be absent from this
baby's life for months?

I just find this a bit bizarre, especially considering that the fundie
"base" is so elated over this choice.

Do they not care that this child will probably be away from its mother
most of the time when he's not even a year old?

[thereismore]

1. Don't say disabled. The baby is a normal Down-syndrome baby with great needs. nt

[enki23]

3. down syndrome is a disability

it's one thing to be respectful, another to be fucking absurd.

[LibraLiz1973]

7. Exactly.

Can't even say anything else because I am SICK over people
giving a pass on this and saying that she has a right to run.
Of course she has a RIGHT to run... but that DOES NOT make it right for her to do!

Who the fuck would vote for someone who cant even put her family first?

[CountAllVotes]

2. that child will require extreme care for life

and she walks away to run for VP. Great mother alright! I agree with you!

Who will care for this child with a severe disability?

Not her, that seems obvious! :mad:

:kick:

[JCMach1]

8. Exactly! and this young there is no telling the full extent of the disability

[CountAllVotes]

16. Down syndrome is no joke

I've seen varying degrees of it. Most people with Down syndrome do not live full nor long lives, I know that much.

They won't know how severely disabled this baby is for a few years. It doesn't have a great future in any case. How a mother could walk away from an infant is beyond me! :grr:

[JCMach1]

27. I grew up with a neigbor boy who was Downs syndrome- it means a lifetime

of monitoring heart and vascular system. Also, it is so very important to push these children to their full-extent education-wise... not to mention life-skills.

I seriously do not think being VP would allow her to do that. Sorry, but true.

[B2G]

11. Severe disability?

You do know that Downs runs the gamut from severely disabled to highly functioning, right?

You assume much.

[demodonkey]

20. The child is going to have MANY needs. As a parent of either sex she should consider that. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

4. That was my first thought. With everything she does and has done,

I cannot help but wonder just how much time she does spend with her pack of children...

[Name removed]

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[NJmaverick]

5. You are correct

[B2G]

6. Who says she's "abandoning" anything

Does the baby not have a father?

[LibraLiz1973]

13. The very notion that the childs father, a commercial fisherman with a high stress

active job, would be able to devote the time (single handedly) that all 5 of his children need is ABSURD.
He works a very physical job.

This is another set of children being passed off to nannys so that the parents can do whatever they want.
It's a fucking embarrasment to parenting and people who actually RAISE their OWN children.

[B2G]

21. Didn't realize we were the party that insists

a woman give up her career when she has children. My bad.

[greguganus]

39. I thought her husband worked for British Petroleum. n/t

[Name removed]

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[merh]

78. he works for BP according to MSM

where do you get that he is a fisherman?

[greguganus]

81. maybe he subbed on "The Deadliest Catch" n/t

[CoffeeCat]

22. She's the mother of this baby...

...and she's making the choice to spend countless hours away from him.

I think that's a bad decision.

I couldn't make that poor choice, and I'm not even a Fundie!

The point is...that these people are hypocrites.

[onenote]

48. no you couldn't make that choice. But millions of women do

make the choice to be working mothers.

Now, maybe they're hypocrites. I don't know, because I haven't heard Palin say anything about working mothers.

But I thought most Democrats believed that women should have the choice to stay at home or work. SHe has a husband and I suspect he'll give up his job and move to DC if she was elected.

THis is a ridiculous line of argument -- offensive even -- imo.

[beachmom]

62. This is an extreme case and has nothing to do with the Mommy Wars.

Plus, traditional values voters would, if this wasn't their VP pick, agree.

[onenote]

74. and if traditional values voters make it an issue, we should defend her

and call them out.

ANd if they don't make it an issue, we shouldn't pretend that it is.

[CoffeeCat]

77. I've clearly stated repeatedly...

...that I have no problem with mothers returning to work.

I thought I made that perfectly clear in my posts.

I said that I support working mothers in all kinds of situations.

What I am having a hard time swallowing is that she will be away from
her 4-month-old baby for long stretches of time, traveling around
the country and working all waking hours of the day. That's above
and beyond "returning to work."

Furthermore, as I said in countless posts--I find the hypocrisy a bit
jarring. Republicans today, are touting her as some kind of angel
for not aborting a Down's Syndrome Child. So, she's a saint for
having this baby, but they see nothing wrong with having a special
needs infant and then abandoning him while she is still breastfeeding?

It's the Fundies--not me--who are so staunch about women's roles and staying
at home being the best thing for the child in all situations. They're the ones
who think that all mothers who don't stay at home and home school--are the
spawn of hell. That's a bit hypocritical.

I just find it curious that a mother could totally leave her 4-month-old
baby like that for long stretches--with no contact. It's extreme. It seems
very un-motherly to me. She's not a working mom, who can come home and bond
with her disabled infant every night. She'll be lucky to see him twice a month.

There is no substitute for a mother--with a newborn baby. A newborn needs
to bond with his mother and see his mother more than once a month. I'm
sorry if that offends people. I'm no expert, just a mom myself, and I'm
speaking from the heart when I say that this bothers me and I think she is
making selfish decisions.

[bevoette]

9. Dr. Laura would ream her a new one. (nm)

[goldcanyonaz]

10. This would NEVER be brought up if Palin were a man.

[B2G]

12. Word n/t

[LibraLiz1973]

14. Correct. And you know what?

I am fine with that. As a woman.
She chose to have that child.
A mother makes a commitment to mother her children.
Your body, your choice.
She chose.
And now she is choosing to ignore her obligation as a parent.

[onenote]

49. so you believe all women should be stay at home moms?

And yet you are a Democrat.

Well, we are a big tent party.

[beachmom]

69. So NEVER being home is okay? Because that is how it will be for

her running as a VP. This isn't working and getting home at 6 PM. I didn't realize "liberal" means being an extremist/black & white thinker.

[onenote]

Its for sixty days. Not a lifetime.

And how she handles it is (a) unknown to both you and me and (b) none of our business anyway.

[CoffeeCat]

88. Why are you creating false choices here?

No one is saying that all moms should stay at home.

However there is a big difference between a working mom, who works 40-50 hours
a week, and what Palin is doing.

She'll be traveling all over the country, and working 24/7. She'll see her infant
a few times before the election...maybe?

This is an extreme situation, especially with a four-month-old disabled infant.

[demodonkey]

18. Neither would the fact that has five children other than perhaps a brief mention.

As a woman who never got to have a child in this lifetime, I am tired of the notion (and YES it exists) that you are somehow less of a person if you are not a mother.

[elehhhhna]

19. She'd never have been selected if she were a man, either.

[NJmaverick]

89. Biden is a man, he took the train home every night

to be with his sons.

[SoCalDem]

90. She would never have been chosen if she were a man

:)

Hey.. Maybe Cindy will adopt her baby :rofl:

[seaglass]

Wait...is she a single parent? Because if not, I find your

sentiments offensive.

[shayes51]

84. Me, too.

[Diane R]

15. I can't believe the 'family values' crowd will appreciate a mother leaving her special needs baby...

...to campaign. I just don't think it will play well.

[pizoxuat]

31. Who cares what the "family values" crowd thinks?

When did we suddenly get all concerned about their feelings?

If they want to tear down their VP pick for dumb, sexist reasons then let them. But we should be better than this.

[beachmom]

70. Oh, so now it is sexist to wonder who will care for her baby while

she is out campaigning and traveling across the country? Wow. I didn't realize it is sexist to ask such a simple question.

[SoxFan]

17. That's her business, not yours.

[CoffeeCat]

24. I'm entitled to my opinion...

I'm a mother and I'm a voter.

Her life is ours to judge, when she's running for second-in-command.

Don't be absurd.

I can certainly have an opinion about a vice-presidential candidate chosing to
abandon her 4-month-old baby, in order to run the rigors of a Presidential
campaign.

[SoxFan]

28. She knows the situation better than any of us

Joe Biden took his seat in the senate when his twho sons were in the hospital, just weeks after he buried his wife and infant daughter. With the help of a strong and loving family, he endured.

I don't care for Sarah Palin. I don't like her ideology, and I don't think she is a credible commander-in-chief. But I don't know the nuances of her family situation. She's the only one who can determine whether or not she has the family support system needed to look after her child's best interest.

Not me. Not you. Only Palin and her family.

[onenote]

53. what did you think about JFK staying in office

John-John was born 3 weeks after the election in 1960. Jackie campaigned through most of her pregnancy and I don't recall anyone speculating that JFK should've stepped down because he was a new dad.

So it was okay for him to "abandon" his baby for the rigors of serving as president?

[CoffeeCat]

75. Was JFK breastfeeding...

...his newborn?

I think everyone understands that the mother/baby bond is a unique one. Palin
did give birth to this child, didn't she?

I would never consider that JFK abandoned his child. Jackie was the mom, and she
was home with the kids.

I'm sorry if this is all too provincial for some of you, but mothers are different
from fathers and there is that unique, special bond there.

That's how I feel. I understand this may be an unpopular view in some Democratic
circles, but I feel this from my heart.

[onenote]

76. Is Palin breastfeeding?

And if she isn't, does that make her a "bad" mother?

[CoffeeCat]

80. She is breastfeeding the baby...

...at least that is what the MSM has said.

I think it's cruel to abruptly end breastfeeding and abandon your baby, yes--when
you don't have to.

I wouldn't begrudge her for not breastfeeding. Most women cannot. I certainly
wouldn't judge her, or any woman, for deciding not to breastfeed.

I do judge her for deciding to hit the road with McCain and be away from her
baby for weeks at a time. The fact that she is breastfeeding is just
one more thing the baby will have to adjust to. That moves her behavior up
one more notch on the selfish scale.

Sorry if this offends some. I'm not trying to do my impression of Dr. Laura.

I have strong opinions about a mother who would voluntarily leave their disabled
baby for long stretches, to further their political ambitions.

[Dem_4_Life]

23. As a woman I agree.

Just the facts that 1st she has a baby (down syndrome or not she has a 4 month old baby) and 2nd he has down syndrome (he needs care and love and not a mother that is going to abandon him). How are you going to bond with your child and raise your child when you are not even there and you are off campaigning?

[Name removed]

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[Midlodemocrat]

52. HOLY CRAP!!! A live one!!! Right here in this thread!!

:woohoo:

:woohoo:

Go back under your bridge, you freeper scum.

[Name removed]

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[Left Is Write]

65. Midlo...welfare...

:rofl:

Stop it. You're killing me.

[Name removed]

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[Midlodemocrat]

71. Darlin' you can't make this shit up.

:rofl:

Thank GOD, I have my minivan to live in....down by the river. :rofl:

[onenote]

55. Do only mothers abandon babies when they go back to work? What about fathers?

So if a husband and wife have a child and the mother goes back to work, that's abandoning the child. But if the father goes back to work, its not?

Just trying to make sense of this.

[Kixel]

25. I agree with you

ANYONE with an infant at home who thinks spending all of their time campaigning is questionable to me (regardless of sex). You can't call a baby so they no you still care. That bond is being built at that time. Its clear that Obama takes his JOB of being a father seriously (as does Biden). You can see the love.

The GOP only wants everyone else to have family values. Their own are their own business.

My sister-in-law went through a phase when my niece was 3 months old. She's fixed the relationships with everyone since, but I held a 3 month old baby who hadn't seen her mother in a month and a half...that's totally not cool. Babies need their parents and I will reserve my right to question why any parent would leave an infant unless they had no other choice.

[onenote]

60. Anyone? Does that apply to father as well as mothers?

JFK hadn't even been sworn in when John-John was born. You think the rigors of being president are that much less than the rigors of running for president. (The former occupies a lot of time for sixty days or so, the other is a four year/eight year commitment).

[Left Is Write]

26. This is coming up way too often, and it distracts from real issues.

Would I leave my 4-month-old nursing infant for the campaign trail? No. But what I would do is completely irrelevant.

The baby has two parents. If weaning the baby to formula is not a problem for the Palins, then there is nothing his mother can give him that his father can't.

The fact that Palin has an infant child is a red herring. If the fundies and extreme conservatives want to blast her for her choice, let them. But don't lets drag ourselves into that fray.

[CoffeeCat]

29. I think her choice speaks directly...

...to her character, her sense of values and it also demonstrates her hypocrisy.

In my opinion, abandoning a four-month old baby who is still nursing--to campaign--is selfish.

She's running for public office. Her behavior is out there for all of us to judge. If I
was undecided (and I'm not), this would be a deal breaker for me.

And I respectfully disagree with you about what you said, "there is nothing his mother can give him
that his father can't." Many women can't breastfeed. Some aren't able, and some just can't do it
because it isn't realistic if they are returning to work. However, to abruptly quit breastfeeding--
in order to further your political career--when you don't have to, is a choice that does harm the baby.

That's a drastic change for a baby. All of the research shows that breastfeeding provides nutrients
that augment a baby's immune system.

Also, I'd like to point out that I'm not talking about a woman returning to work. Palin will be
working every waking minute and traveling all over the country. Unless she's traveling with the
baby, she will be away from him most of the time.

That's a very significant decision, whether you agree or disagree with it or not.

As a soccer mom myself--I find her decision disgusting--so don't look for this soccer mom to be buying
into all of this "soccer mom" appeal that she supposedly has.

Any "soccer mom" or "security mom" will have a reaction to her doing this.

[Left Is Write]

32. Like I said, if THEIR base wants to attack her for "abandoning" her child, let them.

WE don't need to do it. The action speaks for itself among the self-described "family values" voting bloc.

You don't need to sell me on breastfeeding. I did EN with two children, and I tandem-nursed for the first 18 months of my son's life. As I said, this is not a choice I would make. But IF the Palins have no problem with weaning the baby, then yes, his father can give him all the care he needs.

[Riddler]

30. Didn't they pillory Elizabeth Edwards for opting to campaign instead taking care of her kids?

[K8-EEE]

35. That's a good point n/t

[beachmom]

73. Some of us liberals quietly disagreed with her decision, too. BUT,

at least their kids were older. And they don't have Downs syndrome.

[w8liftinglady]

33. I have a problem with her pimping 2 of her kids as medals of her"Rightness"

her "9/11" soldier and her unaborted baby.It is simply pathetic.

[GoesTo11]

34. Fathers can be caregivers too

Her husband can nurse the baby, giving the nutrition needed for optimal development.

[JDPriestly]

36. Palin has three girls between the ages of 7 and 18

They will take care of the baby. Palin may have a mom or mother-in-law who takes care of the children.

Being a kid in a large family can be great, but it has a down-side. Nobody gets the personal attention they need.

Palin has to make her decision, but she has to understand that the whole world will be watching her and her children. That's part of the bargain when you run for office.

[Name removed]

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[crimsonblue]

37. Duh... Christians only care about people until they're born

Hence their virolent opposition to abortion and to SCHIP.

[DebJ]

38. As the divorced parent of a bipolar child, who did well in the

career I had to take on to financially support my children, I cry all the time (and my kids are now 25 and 28) because my job robbed me of so many hours my children needed. A child with challenging genetic issues requires inexhaustible amounts of time and concentration and devotion, and this creates sacrifice of time for the other children in the family. Throw in a managment job, and everyone suffers in a way that can never, ever be recovered later. I will be crying over this on my deathbed. I can not imagine volunteering for the responsibilitis of the most challenging job on the face of this planet. That's my two cents.

[CoffeeCat]

87. First off, you should be proud of yourself...

You are a hero, and a courageous person and a very devoted mother.

You were divorced and you mustered the courage to return to work--and raise your kids.

Look at it this way, if you wouldn't have worked, you may have risked losing your kids
or raising them in an environment that wasn't as safe or enriching. Plus, you were a
role model to your children, demonstrating the value of hard work and being tenacious.
You did good. Very good.

Do you know the story of Lolo Jones, the runner who was just in the Olympics. Her mother
didn't work and Lolo ended up asking to be put in foster care. Her mother couldn't provide
a stable, safe and consistent home for her.

You worked your heart out, and you did it for your kids. Plus you excelled at work. That's
amazing! Some women would find themselves overwhelmed or depressed and no one would fault them.

I hate to see your punish yourself like this. All women have to make choices. It seems that no
matter what choices we make there are pitfalls. And then we blame ourselves when our children
aren't perfect. We shouldn't do that.

I am proud of you for being so strong, in the face of tough challenges, and I hope the day
comes when you can be proud of yourself too!

:hug:

[Name removed]

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[BlueIdaho]

42. Maddie is that you?

So cute - two whole posts and MM is busy defending the Republicans.

Bring on the granite pizza.

[Name removed]

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[BlueIdaho]

45. Gosh

Now we're up to 4 posts. How you been MaddieJoan?

[Name removed]

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[Left Is Write]

61. Now, Johnny, don't be bitter.

I'm sure SOMEONE will vote for you this fall.

[Name removed]

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[Left Is Write]

56. Won't need the welfare check to eat today. We'll be having pizza.

[PA Democrat]

59. Get lost.

[K Gardner]

47. "Liberals are nasty, intolerant creeps" ?? Pizza anyone?

[chatnoir]

50. MickeyMouse? ha, sounds about right

Bring on the pizza.

[Midlodemocrat]

54. You're still here? Does your mommy know you've

commandeered her computer? She needs it to play online poker you know, you freeper asshole.

Good luck with McLoser and his pick. :rofl:

[underpants]

57. Run along now, we adults have important matters to discuss

:hi:

[marlakay]

63. i heard she went back to work after just a few days

thats what made me question her, they just said on the radio she can handle 5 kids, sounds to me like her babysitters are the one handling the kids!

and i am not attacking her as a woman...we have laws that give any woman at least a month with her children, why didn't she do that, especially with the problems?

[onenote]

85. what I read was that she came back to work part time

and often brought the baby to her office which, I assume, is in the Governor's mansion -- i.e., she lives and works in the same place.

[goodgd_yall]

67. It's not what most women would do, I suppose

I'm hoping she is using good judgment in choosing who is taking care of the child.

[RB TexLa]

72. Would it strike you as unfatherly if it where her husband on the ticket?

[lady raven]

79. At the risk of offending some here,

I have a real problem with it. OF COURSE a woman has the right to have a career and to be a working mother. But I don't personally know a SINGLE working mother who would have left her newborn baby at the age of THREE DAYS to return to any job, let alone one that she didn't need for survival.

I am also deeply disturbed by a quote from her in an article I read today, stating that she wouldn't allow her baby to interfere with her duties as Governor.

As the mother of 6 month old twins, I feel ill thinking about the disregard she has shown for her baby.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

82. how many mothers are invited to be the vp? are your friends typically

asked this question?

[onenote]

86. where did you read that she "left" her new born baby

The articles I read said she brought the baby to her office, which presumably is in the governor's mansion where she lives. And that she started back to work part time initially.

[uncertainty1999]

83. Any parent of a young child in this position makes me wonder...

Even with Bill Clinton, I wondered how wise it was to subject a child to public life. Obama - same thing could be said there. Palin - ditto. I voted for Bill anyway and will vote for Obama, so I don't hold it against Palin at all - her husband will need to fulfill the primary caregiver role (an uncommon role, but not unheard of).